What should I check before buying a sarangi?

Check the back of a sarangi behind the string holder, where most old sarangis are bent or cracked. Check the set-up too: bridge placement and contour, skin fitting, string thickness and height, and peg fit. Sizes vary, because players ordered larger sarangis to accompany male singers and smaller ones for women singers. Instruments by the Meerut makers Masita and Abdul Aziz Behra were the most prized.